


Johnny Lawrence gets punched in the mouth

by indecisivebehaviors



Series: lawrusso one-shots [2]
Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Feelings Realization, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Johnny Lawrence being bad at emotions, Light Angst, M/M, and I went with this one, and no one is surprised, listen the prompt could've gone 100 different ways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29546211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indecisivebehaviors/pseuds/indecisivebehaviors
Summary: or, alternatively; Johnny has some sense knocked into him
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Series: lawrusso one-shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179641
Comments: 24
Kudos: 173





	Johnny Lawrence gets punched in the mouth

When Johnny thinks about it later, and if he’s being honest with himself, the whole situation is, technically, his fault.

Things had been going good,  _ really  _ good. Kreese and Silver had vanished into thin air after the tournament, his old students had come back,  _ Robby _ had come back, and he and LaRusso were still doing joint classes out of the Miyagi-do dojo, and really who was he to say no to free dojo real estate?

Not everything is perfect, obviously. It’s only been a few months since the tournament and they were still getting into the swing of things-- He and Robby weren’t 100% yet, and he knew that shit was gonna take awhile you don’t erase over a decade of hurt overnight. The bright side seemed to be that he and Miguel were seemingly getting on pretty well nowadays; they’d taken it to the mat a few weeks after the tournament, but after a few black eyes, busted knuckles, and bruises, it had seemed to work out their differences alright. They certainly seemed to like ganging up on him whenever the opportunity came up, and sure it isn’t  _ fun  _ getting roasted(Sam had taught him that word a few weeks ago) by two teenage boys, but at least they had found something they could bond over right?

LaRusso, who’d been having more trouble at home than he’d let on, had dealt with his fair share of post-tournament problems. He and Amanda had divorced shortly after they’d won, he’d claimed it was amicable and really it did seem like it was, but that hadn’t stopped him from getting shit faced at his apartment the day they’d signed the papers. He and Carmen hadn’t really said anything about their very brief thing, but they’d never been official either, so he doesn’t feel too bad when he finds out that she and Amanda start going out. To be fair though, it is kinda hot, so that helps soften the blow to his ego. LaRusso had taken the news pretty well all things considered.

Which, like everything else in his life apparently, led to Daniel.

Their relationship was... interesting to say the least. Their rivalry had never really ended, probably would never really because 30 years of mutual dislike is very hard to get rid of, but it seemed almost friendly now. Like they could almost be described as  _ friends _ and wasn’t that just the weirdest fucking thing about this whole situation? 17 year old Johnny Lawrence would have laughed and then decked(in that order) anyone who would have suggested that in ‘84. Hell Johnny Lawrence from 2 years ago would’ve done the same thing.

But it was... nice, almost, to not be his enemy anymore. The whole dojo rivalry had been one of the most exhausting things in his entire life, and he’d been in jail multiple times over the years so that said a lot honestly.

They still butted heads over things, because even if they’d found out later on that they were pretty similar(Daniel had thrown a Miyagi-ism at him while drunk once  _ different but same _ whatever that meant), they still disagreed on just as much as they agreed on. But it was small things like lesson plans, how to deal with teenager drama, and what they were getting for lunch on Friday. Oh and the  _ name _ . The sheer amount of sparring they’d done just over the name alone was, quite frankly, unsurprising.

Things were different now though. They didn’t fight, not really, the kids had said they bickered like an old married couple(and that was a weird mental image for him to have right??), and he had eventually been forced to agree that, yeah, they weren’t nearly as antagonistic as they were before. Which was fine. He was happy with that.

But then the  _ thoughts _ came.

LaRusso would say something, without thinking like  _ I’m really proud of how well you and Robby are doing _ or  _ I’m glad you and Sam get along so well _ , and he’d get this really weird feeling in the pit of his stomach which originally he thought was indigestion, but then it just  _ kept happening _ and he couldn’t really explain it with that anymore.  _ Oh c’mon Johnny you know the kids adore you  _ and  _ we should get a drink, it’d be nice to have a night away from the kids _ and  _ you and Robby should come over for dinner on Fridays it’ll be fun _ . But it’s kinda nice, he doesn’t wanna make it weird by bringing it up, doesn’t wanna ruin a good thing, so he doesn’t.

Then the casual touches had started. They’d touched before, of course they had, but there’s a difference between handshakes and sparring, and whatever the fuck LaRusso kept doing to him. It was hardly noticeable at first; a pat on the shoulder after a good class, kicking him under the table at dinner, pulling him by the shirt sleeve when he really wanted Johnny to meet the more enthusiastic parents, helping him up when he hits the mat hard during a demo. Those could be easily explained. He could ignore the weird feeling in his chest whenever it happened. But they kept happening and they were becoming increasingly harder to ignore- bumping his shoulder when he walked by even if there was plenty of space to go around him, ruffling his hair whenever he was distracted, throwing an arm around his shoulder casually when they were drinking, or leaning into him while he laughed at something particularly funny that Johnny had said.

The first time LaRusso had hugged him, without prompting, he’d nearly passed out. It was starting to get ridiculous.

Google had turned up exactly 0 useful results- half of them said he was having a heart attack and the other half led to weird chick magazine articles that he doesn’t even bother to read.

He brushes it off, for a while, because Daniel just seems to be this way with everyone.

He hugs Sam constantly, praises the kids every chance he gets, especially Robby. He’ll still hug Amanda when he sees her, sometimes. He’s always just casually touching everyone, shaking parent’s hands, moving the kids easily if their stance is wrong. It shouldn’t be weird. It’s just how he is with people he likes, and Johnny just so happens to be in that ever growing circle of people now. It’s strange but he doesn’t dislike it. Why say anything and mess up a good thing?

But then he thinks, sorta out of the blue, things like  _ he has the biggest fucking doe eyes  _ or  _ that suit looks good on him today  _ and  _ he has a really nice ass _ and  _ that’s  _ when he starts panicking.

Now, as much as the kids like to joke that he still lives in the ‘80s, he really isn’t  _ that _ out of touch. He already had his gay panic sometimes during the latter half of the ‘90s, he knows it’s fine, did his fair share of hookups before and after his life hit rock bottom. It really isn’t about the fact that he’s thinking those things about a guy.

It’s because it’s  _ Daniel fucking LaRusso. _

So he just pushes it down, with every other feeling he has that he doesn’t know how to deal with. Because he seriously doesn’t know how to deal with his new found feelings,  _ fuck he even hates how it sounds,  _ for Daniel. He likes this, he likes what they’ve built here, and he finally has Robby back, and the kids are doing great and he can’t do anything,  _ won’t _ do anything that could jeopardize this for everyone. He can’t ruin this too.

He’s working with a group of kids on their sparring, while Daniel has a group near the pond, running through kata and, really who gave him permission to wear those fucking leggings today, it’s so fucking distracting, but then he’s thinking about him with the kids and he’s just so patient with them, with his soft words and slow, gentle movements while he works with them.  _ Fuck why can’t I stop looking at him? _

And then it hits him.

Or more accurately, Miguel hits him.

He should have, in theory, been able to block the punch pretty easily, but he’d been so distracted he hadn’t even seen the kid move.

This is how he finds himself flat on his back before he even registers the hit, head hitting the ground with a hard thud in the dirt, and he’s staring up in a daze at several children, in various stages of freaking the fuck out.

“Oh my god!” “Sensei are you okay?!” “Do we need to call an ambulance?” “Holy shit, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to!”

The words all kind of blur together for a second, none of them really making any goddamn sense, and his ears are ringing a little bit, he’s gotta remember to tell Miguel that was one hell of a punch, and  _ ow fuck _ he must’ve hit his head hard cause he doesn’t even know Daniel’s coming over until he’s on his knees in the dirt, hovering over him, with a concerned expression on his face  _ it’s just really pretty why did I never realize that _ . His hand is really warm where it’s touching his cheek and  _ oh there’s that weird feeling again this is really not a good time please go the fuck away. _

He barely tunes in a realizes that LaRusso was asking him a question, so he just blinks up at him dumbly, “Huh?”

“Johnny, are you okay? What happened?” His voice is pinched in worry and he registers distantly, that he really doesn’t like it when Daniel sounds like that.

“‘M okay. Just got caught off guard is all. Hey Diaz,” he looks over his shoulder at Miguel, who is still mid-panic, “That was a real good fuckin’ hit.”

Daniel’s shoulders sag in relief and he smiles wryly  _ that’s such a nice smile, _ looking up to the group huddled around them, “Okay kids, he’s gonna be just fine,” he looks back down at him  _ wow his eyes are just a really nice shade of brown,  _ “Do you think you can sit up? We should clean that up.” 

He blinks and finally realizes just how badly his fucking mouth hurts, and he’s pretty sure he busted his lip on his teeth cause he’s pretty sure he can taste copper. Still, he nods and lets Daniel help him sit up; he’s dizzy for a second, vision blurring a little at the edges, and Daniel is still there murmuring something he doesn’t quite catch, brushing the hair out of his face and his hand is back on his face and  _ oh this is really nice actually _ . 

...

_ Oh god he’s so fucked. _

He’s being ushered into the house a minute later, being sat down on the couch, Miguel babbling nonsense behind them, and a pack of ice finds its way into his hand, he’s hissing at the feeling when he puts it on the back of his head.

He’s pulled out of his daze when he hears Daniel, who’s sitting between his legs in front of him on the coffee table, first aid kit beside him, one hand idly on his thigh while he cleans the blood off his face, “Sam why don’t you tell everyone they can go home for today, okay?”

“What? No, I’m fine,” but Sam has already left the room, leaving only himself, and the two very concerned faces of his boys, “Daniel seriously, I’m fine, I’ve had a lot worse,” he adds almost as an afterthought, “No offense Diaz.”

“None taken, Sensei.” Miguel quips back, but he still sounds spooked.

Daniel looks thoroughly unconvinced, but he still chuckles, leaning more into his space, and it’s incredibly distracting, “Okay, now I know you’re not okay, if you’re calling me Daniel.”

“Dad?” He startles and looks up at Robby, who’s worrying hip lip between his teeth, “Seriously, are you okay?”

He sighs, trying to sound as convincing as possible, “I’m fine, Pup, really,” Robby furrows his brow, “ _ seriously. _ My head hurts like a motherfucker, but there’s nothing a fistful of tylenol can’t fix.”

Everyone looks thoroughly unimpressed.

Luckily, Sam saves him from the 3rd degree, “Daddy? Everyone’s gone now. Is Mr. Lawrence okay?”

“I’m just fine, Sam.” His smile is genuine when she comes over and sits next to him.

“Are you sure? Do you need anything?” She sounds genuinely worried.

“Nah I’m alright,” he shrugs, “Might as well go home and sleep it off at this rate since your dad shooed everyone off.” He smirks at him then, but Daniel just looks frustrated, and it drops off immediately.

“Absolutely not. You know you could have a concussion right? You’re not going to bed anytime soon, and you are  _ not  _ driving either,” he goes to argue, but Daniel beats him to it, “besides, it’s  _ Friday _ , remember? You and the boys were staying over anyway.”

Oh. Right. Maybe he had hit his head harder than he thought.

In the end, he really doesn’t have a good argument to leave, and really, he doesn’t actually want to either.

The kids end up ordering pizza and even though Daniel grumbles about it, he’s too busy fussing over him to really do anything about it.

And he  _ is _ fussing over him, and Johnny doesn’t really know how to react to all of the attention, and it frustrates him after a while, and he snaps, “LaRusso, seriously, what are you, my wife?”

Daniel just rolls his eyes, puts a hand on his jaw like it’s no big deal, “Well obviously  _ someone  _ needs to take care of you, Mr. Fistful of tylenol.” He really has to fight off the weird feeling in his chest now.

Later he’s forced to sit through some movie from the early 2000s that he had, at the time, desperately tried to avoid watching. He’s either lucky or very unlucky that he’s distracted the whole time and doesn’t really watch it. After dinner, the kids had commandeered the couch, leaving only the much smaller loveseat that really doesn’t accommodate two full grown men very well, and even less so, when halfway through the movie, Daniel is tucking his legs up under him and leaning into his space, one of his knees pressing into the outside of his thigh and he spends the rest of the movie barely breathing and trying pretty desperately not to move and give him a reason to shift away.

Eventually, though the kids shuffle off to bed and even when Daniel is saying goodnight to them over his shoulder, he hasn’t moved an inch from his spot on the couch. His back is starting to hurt from how tense he’s keeping his back. He calls out a weak, “Goodnight.” when he hears the kids call out, and then the two of them are left in silence.

He must space out for a second, because he startles when Daniel puts a hand on his shoulder, “Hey, you doing okay?”

He tries to gather himself a little, “Yeah I’m fine, just tired. Why?”

Daniel gives him a crooked smile, “Well I was asking if you wanted to watch another movie or go to bed, but I think I already got my answer.”

“Oh,” he says dumbly, “Sorry.”

The hand on his shoulder starts moving in slow, small circles, and he tenses at the feeling before he sinks down into the couch, “It’s okay,” he shifts closer, “Where’d you go just then?”

“Hmm?” He can’t turn his head or he’ll be inches from his face, and Johnny really doesn’t think he has the self control for that, “It’s nothing. Just been really distracted today.”

He forces his hand to stay still when he feels Daniel move, his own coming to thread their fingers together over his thigh, “You’re sure? You’d tell me if something is wrong right?”

Johnny really,  _ really _ doesn’t understand what’s going on  _ this means nothing this is just how Daniel is _ so he just drops his head to the back of the couch, closes his eyes, and mumbles out, “Yeah, course.”

The hand on his shoulder stills, “Johnny?” He holds his breath, the hand around his squeezes, “Johnny, look at me...”

But he  _ can’t _ because he knows what’ll happen if he does, and he  _ can’t _ , he likes this, he likes what has here and he can’t ruin it this, he can’t do that to Robby, or his students, or  _ Daniel _ . And he will ruin it, even if it isn’t immediate, he will ruin it, like he has ruined every other good thing he’s had and he can’t, not to this. 

He wouldn’t survive the separation. He needs this.

Daniel’s hand retracts from his own, and he doesn’t have time to wonder how it suddenly becomes so cold, because it comes back to the side of his face, and he is gently pulling his head back up, and he can feel the breath on his face when Daniel leans his forehead against his.

He lets out a shaking breath when he feels hesitant lips press chaste to the corner of his mouth, “Johnny, look at me.” And who is he really, to say no to him?

He opens his eyes. Daniel’s smile is small, but those big, brown doe eyes of his are shining and his thumb traces over his jaw, and Johnny can’t help it anymore.

He forces down the wince when he slots his lips over Daniel’s own, and he doesn’t hesitate this time, the hand not on his face going around to card through the hair at the back of his neck. Johnny reaches down, places a hand on Daniel’s leg to ground himself when he feels his tongue swipe across his bottom lip.

The feeling is back in his chest and for once he doesn’t push it away.

When he’s in bed later, with Daniel tucked into his side and snoring softly against his neck, legs tangled underneath the sheets, he thinks maybe he can have this, this one thing, and not ruin it.

**Author's Note:**

> eeeyyy another one written in like 2 hours!  
> written for a prompt from underture on tumblr so hopefully this doesn't suck!  
> no beta as per usual- all mistakes are mine


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